


Mizpah

by CuriousRebel



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Comforting Chas, M/M, Prison, Sad, sad Robert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 19:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10041104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriousRebel/pseuds/CuriousRebel
Summary: Robert has his first breakdown a week after Aaron's departure.





	

A week.  
It has been a week since Aaron was taken away from him, and Robert has yet to cry.  
At first, people believed that he didn't care that Aaron had gone to prison and that he had returned to being the selfish Robert of old.  
But then they noticed his glassy stare and unmatched comments, his compassionate and strong presence when around those who needed supporting in Aaron's absence, and his dry eyes no longer made sense.  
Though, of course, people could not see what Robert was like when alone, and so they assumed that he was keeping a brave face for his new family. For Chas and for Liv.   
And they were right. Robert wasn't keeping a score on the number of times he had cried, but he could guess the number was around a hundred times. He felt that it must be obvious to outsiders that his insides had been torn out and thrown back in upside down. Or the fact that his eyes constantly burn with the need to cry. Or the fact that sometimes he has to subtly turn away from someone so that they don't see him wiping the tears from his eyes.   
So Chas becomes worried. Though she would hate to admit it, she has come to care for Robert, and has even seen the side of him that Aaron kept insisting was there when they all thought he was bad and needed locking up. And, she'll give him this, she gets what Aaron sees in him. Protective. Charming. Relatable. Suave.  
He is not what Chas had first perceived him to be. He is also not what she expected of Aaron's other half, but she can see that they are perfect for each other in every way.  
She misses Aaron, but she has been apart from him before and so coping with the pain comes quickly to her.  
But Robert, she realises, has never quite been cut off from him like this. There have been times when they have been apart, yes, but that was because they did not want to see each other. She doesn't think that they have ever been apart and wanted desperately to be together, but she hates that Robert is keeping it shut in so tightly.  
“Why don't you go for a walk?” She asks one morning, hoping to pry him from his computer for just a little while.” You could go and get a coffee from the shop, shake all this legal stuff off for a while.”  
Robert ‘mmm’s distractedly and carries on as if he hasn’t heard her.  
She sighs, aggravated and folds his laptop shut.  
“Oi, what are you-?” Robert gapes up at her, astonished.  
“Robert,” she says, voice soft,” you'll be no good to Aaron if your head’s a mess when he comes out. He won't want to be coming out of prison and then having to take care of his husband because his head is mashed.”  
Robert's shoulders fall and he glares at the wall to the side of him. She knows mentioning Aaron will have him convinced.  
“Fine.” He mutters, getting up and grabbing his wallet and keys, then slamming the door on his way out. It is the most emotion that Chas has seen him show since Aaron's departure. She didn't exactly expect him to be angry. For a few hours, yes, and then fall back into sadness, but Robert has been angry all week. She is worried for him.

Robert stalks back across the village, head scrambled. He hates this. How could they possibly justify 12 months just for a simple case of assault? It wasn't even as if Aaron had caused any lasting damage. Last Robert had heard, Kasim had been accused of roasting a Barton taxi, so he could hardly be bed-ridden.   
“Finally got your comeuppance, I see?”  
Robert turns at the voice, a sudden angry swirl crashing through him, as if it had been unsettled by the abrupt movement. Christie stands, with that odd hip-out head-to-the-side stance, a smug smile plastering her face. The perfect opportunity to take out some of his anger.   
“You should know all about comeuppances, considering you've got yours coming.”   
Okay, so, not his best line, but it's all the clashing anger will allow him to manage.   
She scoffs,” I bet you miss your poor lost little fiancé, don’t you?”  
“Husband, actually.” Robert can't help the pleasure that slips into his face and into his voice at the declaration.   
Chrissie falters, all bark and no bite, Robert knew. She was no good with unexpected things. Especially during slagging matches.  
“Sorry you weren't invited, but, you know, it was a day about our love for each other, not about rubbing other people's faces in it.”   
Chrissie frowns and Robert smiles smugly, knowing that that is exactly what she had been doing on their wedding day.  
“Well, at least I wasn't such a bad spouse that I got my husband arrested.”  
Robert swallows, eyes flashing with vulnerability.   
“I-I didn't.” Robert says, barely registering that he had stuttered.   
“Oh, really?” Christie creeps closer,” because something tells me that it was entirely your fault that Aaron was so angry that night, don't you think?”   
Robert clenches his shaking jaw,” No.”  
“What was it, hmm? Did you make him feel insecure?”   
“I want you. I want you to want me.”  
“Did you tell him you didn't love him?”   
“I can't make you happy, mate.”   
Robert stares at her, his heart thundering in fright.   
“That's enough.” Robert looks to the source of the voice on his right. It's Chas.   
“Why don't you just run back to your loveless life and leave my family alone?”  
Robert gapes at her. He was her family?  
“Come on, Robert.” She says, gentler, and Robert, in his wounded and somewhat dumbfounded state, allowed himself to be steered into The Woolpack.   
Chas can see that Robert is shaken by the ordeal, and she knows that he is believing what that viper Chrissie said, about it being his fault that Aaron was in prison. And while, yes, their argument did play a large role in Aaron's actions, there were other major factors too. Aaron's jealousy, and Kasim’s hostility towards Finn, too.  
“Hey.” She says, steady.” Don't listen to her, she's just saying what she knows will hurt you, it doesn't make it true.”   
Robert pulls his head up, finally, and Chas can see a wounded young man looking back at her. She is reminded of the day that Aaron left, and the grief-like sadness that Robert showed in his face as Aaron walked out the door, and he looked so much like a young child who had been told something devastating.   
The openess of his features makes her ache, and when he speaks, her insides become weighted,” But it is true, isn't it? I fought with him, I got close to Rebecca, even though I knew it upset him, and I took my ring off, I told him I couldn't make him happy, Chas.” Robert's face crumples completely, and he sobs,” How could I have made him feel like that?”  
She makes a noise like a stifled cough, then sits down and places her arms as far as they will go around him.  
“Shh.” She murmurs as he cries freely into her shoulder, clinging like he just wants to be held. She struggles to keep her own sorrow at bay, but not just the sorrows of losing Aaron, but also the pain of hearing Robert – smart, smug Robert – so desperate for her son, and the pain is almost unbearable.   
She knows that Aaron and Robert have shared their worst secrets with each other, and Aaron has explained to her that there is a very good reason for Robert being the way that he is, so smarmy and snippy, and that when he acts like that, he is showing off and protecting himself, though he refused to be specific about the reason, stating that it wasn't his place to tell.  
“I never meant to hurt him, Chas.” Robert physically shakes, whimpering,” Not even in the beginning, I was just so confused, I was married to Chrissie and I thought I'd finally found love with her, and I was so relieved because it's what my dad would have wanted,” Here he sobs a little, like the words are painful, which Chas imagines they probably are,” and then your Aaron comes along and makes me feel things that I've never felt before, and I realised that if I admitted it, then I was back to square one, but I couldn't help it, I just loved him, so so much, and I didn't ever know that I could be this happy. I didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as I love him.”  
There's a pause as Robert finally quiet end down, and he whispers,” I just don't want to lose him.”   
And Chas holds him tighter, because it scares her; losing Aaron, Robert having to go through this, knowing that love makes you do stupid things, especially when something is keeping you from it.  
“You won't.” She promises,” You won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> I loved Emmerdale tonight (Wednesday), the Robert and Aaron scenes were precious, and Aaron standing up to Jason was amazing, and Rakesh falling through that window! Made my day, that.   
> For anyone wondering about the title, 'mizpah' means the deep and emotional bond between two people, especially those separated by distance.


End file.
